5 ms·

I suspect anyone who is inclined to rent an AirBnb and then throw a party at it is not going to be overly concerned with whether AirBnb policy allows for partie

I suspect anyone who is inclined to rent an AirBnb and then throw a party at it is not going to be overly concerned with whether AirBnb policy allows for parties or not.

1123581321 4y ago
They can now be banned for non-destructive parties. The reduction in party complaints has been about 40% during the temporary measure.
- bagacrap 4y ago
  what's the point in banning people for non destructive parties?
  - goosedragons 4y ago
    Non-destructive parties can still be loud and annoying to the residents that actually live in the area. And I'd bet that probably leads to negative feelings toward AirBNB from those folks and increased chance of banning it outright.
xhkkffbf 4y ago
At some point, AirBnB will let hosts assign cleanup fees that are specified upfront and these will end up being deterrents. Most hotels seem to ask for a $150-300 cleaning fee for smoking in the room and I'm guessing they're able to make it stick because I just don't smell tobacco smoke anymore.
- lotsofpulp 4y ago
  Fewer people smoke, and fewer people have a problem with stepping outside to smoke nowadays. Payment card networks specifically forbid merchants from taking payment for damages that the customer has not specifically agreed to pay (via chip or tap to pay), so any chargeback is easily lost by the hotel. Technically, the smoking fee can be pursued in court, but no hotel is going through the effort of proving it, and even if they could, the legal fees would be huge. Smoking fees are mostly just a deterrent, and the real consequence is you get put on a “do not rent” list at the hotel. I am waiting for Hilton/Hyatt/Marriott/IHG/choice/Wyndham to roll out company wide do not rent lists. They might not have much motivation, however, since they just franchise hotel brands and the hotel owners are the ones that pay for all the damage.
  - 1123581321 4y ago
    Hotels get either a deposit or pre-auth on your credit card and have you sign an agreement that you're on the hook for damages. Yes, they are probably not going to pursue you in excess of the pre-auth, but they're largely covered in typical cases, and you won't win a chargeback if you damaged a room or even the linen. Also, there are already shared DNR lists hotels use for egregious misbehavior. Within hotel chains, there are more extensive lists.
    - lotsofpulp 4y ago
      I know from personal experience the hotel will lose the chargeback. The message from the opposing bank will be something like “merchant agreements does not cover damages” or something. Basically, unless the customer agreed to pay a specific number, and you have proof of it, I would not expect to win the chargeback. The security deposit pre auth at check serves more of a credit check purpose. Generally, if you are getting too many problem customers, you increase the security deposit because you are betting most problem causers will have fewer funds available at any given time. A couple hundred dollars is not going to cover any real damage costs. The other problem is proving the damage was caused by the guest, as you are not typically going over all the existing damage in a room prior to giving the guest a key. The way to get people to pay, however, was to threaten to go to small claims court, and most people will choose to avoid that hassle and simply pay. I have never seen an official shared DNR list by any of the major hotel brands shared with individual hotel owners. If an owner/management company has multiple hotels, then I have seen shared lists.
      - 1123581321 4y ago
        Sorry, yes, you're right about the DNR. The rest, I like your comment and don't doubt your personal experience, but we will have to disagree on the typical experience. Hotels do win chargebacks for damages and get most people to go along with them. Those contracts aren't toothless and you've probably noticed communication about responsibility for damages and required signatures has improved over the last couple decades. At the same time, they're of course good at waiving accidents, small expenses if requested, etc. The room renter has always been responsible for damage. The room in most chains is checked between stays and, outside of unusual scenarios, it's customary for the guest to let the front desk know about existing problems as soon as possible to avoid assuming some responsibility.

I suspect anyone who is inclined to rent an AirBnb and then throw a party at it is not going to be overly concerned with whether AirBnb policy allows for parties or not.

1123581321 4y ago

They can now be banned for non-destructive parties. The reduction in party complaints has been about 40% during the temporary measure.

bagacrap 4y ago
what's the point in banning people for non destructive parties?
- goosedragons 4y ago
  Non-destructive parties can still be loud and annoying to the residents that actually live in the area. And I'd bet that probably leads to negative feelings toward AirBNB from those folks and increased chance of banning it outright.

xhkkffbf 4y ago

At some point, AirBnB will let hosts assign cleanup fees that are specified upfront and these will end up being deterrents. Most hotels seem to ask for a $150-300 cleaning fee for smoking in the room and I'm guessing they're able to make it stick because I just don't smell tobacco smoke anymore.

lotsofpulp 4y ago
Fewer people smoke, and fewer people have a problem with stepping outside to smoke nowadays. Payment card networks specifically forbid merchants from taking payment for damages that the customer has not specifically agreed to pay (via chip or tap to pay), so any chargeback is easily lost by the hotel. Technically, the smoking fee can be pursued in court, but no hotel is going through the effort of proving it, and even if they could, the legal fees would be huge. Smoking fees are mostly just a deterrent, and the real consequence is you get put on a “do not rent” list at the hotel. I am waiting for Hilton/Hyatt/Marriott/IHG/choice/Wyndham to roll out company wide do not rent lists. They might not have much motivation, however, since they just franchise hotel brands and the hotel owners are the ones that pay for all the damage.
- 1123581321 4y ago
  Hotels get either a deposit or pre-auth on your credit card and have you sign an agreement that you're on the hook for damages. Yes, they are probably not going to pursue you in excess of the pre-auth, but they're largely covered in typical cases, and you won't win a chargeback if you damaged a room or even the linen. Also, there are already shared DNR lists hotels use for egregious misbehavior. Within hotel chains, there are more extensive lists.
  - lotsofpulp 4y ago
    I know from personal experience the hotel will lose the chargeback. The message from the opposing bank will be something like “merchant agreements does not cover damages” or something. Basically, unless the customer agreed to pay a specific number, and you have proof of it, I would not expect to win the chargeback. The security deposit pre auth at check serves more of a credit check purpose. Generally, if you are getting too many problem customers, you increase the security deposit because you are betting most problem causers will have fewer funds available at any given time. A couple hundred dollars is not going to cover any real damage costs. The other problem is proving the damage was caused by the guest, as you are not typically going over all the existing damage in a room prior to giving the guest a key. The way to get people to pay, however, was to threaten to go to small claims court, and most people will choose to avoid that hassle and simply pay. I have never seen an official shared DNR list by any of the major hotel brands shared with individual hotel owners. If an owner/management company has multiple hotels, then I have seen shared lists.
    - 1123581321 4y ago
      Sorry, yes, you're right about the DNR. The rest, I like your comment and don't doubt your personal experience, but we will have to disagree on the typical experience. Hotels do win chargebacks for damages and get most people to go along with them. Those contracts aren't toothless and you've probably noticed communication about responsibility for damages and required signatures has improved over the last couple decades. At the same time, they're of course good at waiving accidents, small expenses if requested, etc. The room renter has always been responsible for damage. The room in most chains is checked between stays and, outside of unusual scenarios, it's customary for the guest to let the front desk know about existing problems as soon as possible to avoid assuming some responsibility.